Floating lighthouse.



Patented Sept. 2, |902..

J. C. WILLIAMS. FLOATING LIGHTHUUSE.

(Application filed Oct. 24, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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JOHN C. WILLIAMS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

FLOATING` LIGHTHOUSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,287, datedSeptember 2, 1902.

Application led October 24,1901. Serial No. 79,802. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern/.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kani sas City, in the County of Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements inLighthouses,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in what are known as floatinglighthouses, which are adapted under ordinary conditions to rise andfall with the water.

The object of the invention is to produce a lighthouse of this typesupported by buoysor equivalent structures and embodying means wherebythe buoys or their equivalent mayl be submerged deeply in the water intime of storm, so as to anchor the lighthouse rigidly and firmly inposition without regard to the force and height of the waves. p

Other objects will hereinafter appear, and in order that the inventionmay be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a lighthouseconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlargedhorizontalV Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line III III ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line IV IV of Fig. 3. I;In the said drawings, 1 designates a pair of parallel boat-like buoys orfloats, the same being constructed, preferably, of steel and trussed orbraced internally (not shown) to withstand the pressure ot' the water towhich they are subjected, particularly in time of storm. Near theiropposite ends these buoys or iioats are rigidly connected together by ,Ylatticed or other skeleton girders 2, so as to possess the lightestweight consistent with the great strength required, and these girdersare in turn braced by diagonal braces 3, which centrally intersect orcross each other and are attached in any suitable man ner to the bracescontiguous to the buoys or floats.

4 designates a pair of arches arranged diagonally, so as to intersecteach other centrally and span the space between the` end of one girderand the opposite end of the other. The lower ends of the arches extenddown into said buoys or floats, where connection is made in any suitablemanner with said girders. These arches, like the girders, are of latticeor other skeleton construction to obtain the lightest weight and thegreatest strength and also are of tubular form to containsuitableguide-pulleys 5 for the wire eables 6, extending through said arches andthrough the vertical wells or passages 7, formed in said buoys oriioats. Guide-pulleys, as at 8, are also arranged at the lower end ofsaid wells or passages to prevent abra sion of the cable on the buoy orfloat. Attached to the lower ends of said cables in any approved mannerare immense weights or anchors 9, the same being adapted to be embeddedby the force of gravity alone, by preference, in the bed of the sea.

, 10 designates an upwardly-tapering tubular tower, which preferablyexceeds twice the height and rests centrally upon the arched frame. Thistower is of skeleton or latticework construction, so as to present butlittle surface to the wind, as well as the advantages of strength,rigidity, and light weight, and is braced rigidly by cables 11, securedat their lower ends to the base of the arched frame and at their upperends to the apex of tower. Constructed in the lower end of the tower andpreferably secured to and upon the center of the arched frame is a house12, surrounded by a suitable porch or platform 13 and provided withdoors and windows at every side, these being desirable in order that thelighthouse-keeper may enter or leave at the door at the opposite sidefrom the wind when a storm is in progress. Itis intended that he shallobtain access or egress to the house by climbing up or down one of thelatticed arches, or a ladder or other device may be used for thispurpose, if desired. Located in the corners of the house are large drums14, to which the upper ends of the cables 6 are attached, said drumsbeing locked against back rotation by ratchet-wheels 15 and pawls 16,the former being attached to the drum and the latter to a suitablesupport. The

drums are adapted to be turned so as to wind or unwind the cablesthereon by means of crank-handles 17, and in order to give the operatorgreater leverage the crank-handles are preferably attached to largegear-wheels 18 IOO and engage smaller gear-Wheels 19, attached to thedrums or the drum-shafts. This arrangement enables the attendant as thetides rise to pay out the cables gradually, the water elevating theentire floating structure so as to not impose upon the Weights oranchors the additional duty of holding said structure down against theelevating action of the water. As the tide recedes the attendant takesup the slack in cables 6 by rewinding the cables on the drums,thepawl-and-ratchet mechanism preventing any possibility of accidental backrotation and consequent slackening of the cables. In this connection itshould be stated that should the foundation for the weights or anchorsbe composed of quicksand, into which they would gradually sink deeperand deeper, the attendant to keep the buoys or floats at the properdepth in the Water would pay out the cables gradually to compensate forsuch movement, it being understood that the cables would necessarily beof length to accommodate such condition of affairs. In time of stormwhen the violence of the wind and waves would tend to thresh or toss thebuoyant structure from side to side, and thereby soon effect itscomplete destruction, the attendant, irrespective of the condition ofthe tide, whether in or out, will submerge the buoys or floats to thegreatest depth, so as to eliminate entirely any possible rise and fallor other movement of the lighthouse, it being understood in thisconnection that the Weights will resist the tendency of the water tomove the lighthouse in any direction.

The lighthouse may be provided with a hoisting or equivalent engine (notshown) adapted for connection with said drums, whereby the operator mayWind up suflicient of the cables upon the drums to submerge the buoys orlloats below the plane to which the Water may be lashed in the Violenceof the storm. In fact, it will be absolutely essential that some type ofengine or motor shall be employed for this purpose. The hand-drums areillustrated herein for convenience of illustration merely, and whilethey may be practical under normal conditions it is obvious that a mansefforts to edect the deep-submergence of the buoys or iloats would befutile without regard to the condition of the sea. As stated, the toweris of tubular or -hollow construction, so as to enable the keeper toclimb by steps or ladders (not shown) until he has access to thesurmounting globe 20, wherein is adapted to burn the light which warnsmariners. A llag, as at 2l, may surmount the globe, if desired.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a structure of the characterdescribed can be constructed in sections and conveyed on barges to thepoint where the lighthouse is to be erected and that with suitableladders, trucks, and other machinery the work of putting the partstogether could be done in a comparatively short time. The structure ofcourse will be painted at suitable intervals to preserve it fromcorrosion.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to make allchanges in form, proportion, detail construction, and organization whichproperly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a buoy or float supported lighthouse, embracingbuoys or iloats, intersecting arches connecting the same, suitablebraces for the buoys or floats and arches, an upwardly-tapering towercentrally surmounting the arched frame, and braces connecting saidarches near their ends with said tower, weights or anchors, cablesextending up from the same to the lower ends of the arches, pulleysguiding said cables to the base of the tower, and means located thereinfor taking up or paying out said cables, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a plurality of buoys or iloats provided withvertical passages or wells, braces connecting said buoys or iloats,intersecting arches connecting said floats or buoys and the ends of saidbraces, said arches being of tubular construction, guide-pulleysarranged in said arches and at the lower ends of said wells or passages,a hollow tower centrally surmounting the arches, and suitably braced, aglobe or lamp surmounting the towel', a house formed at the base of thetower and containing winding-drums, cables attached to saidwinding-drums and extending over said pulleys and down through saidwells or passages, Weights or anchors attached to the lower ends of saidcables, means to turn said drums in one direction so as to wind up thecables, and means for preventing the accidental back rotation of thedrums, substantially as described.

3. A lighthouse, comprising a buoy or float supported tubular` frame, atower mounted on said frame, and provided with a livingroom, cablessuitably guided through said tubular frame, and into said room, weights:resting on the bottom of the sea, and attached to the lower ends ofsaid cables, and means for winding up or paying out said cables in saidroom, so as to accommodate the falling or rising of the water.

4c. A lighthouse comprising a buoy or iloat supported structure providedwith vertical passages or wells at suitable points, intersecting tubulararches registering at their lower ends with said wells or passages, andsuitably braced, a skeleton tower surmounting the arches and providedwith a livingroom, cables connecting the upper part of the IOO towerwith the lower ends of the arches, ca- In testimony whereof I affix mysignature bles suitably guided through said tubular in the presence oftwo Witnesses. arches and said wells or passages, weights attached tothe lowerl ends of said cables, and

5 means within said room for shortening` or Witnesses:

lengthening said cables, substantially as de H. C. RODGERS, scribed.- G.Y. THORPE.

JOHN C. WILLIAMS.

